Brooder coop



Dec. 13, 1927.

G.. T. MARKEY BROODER QOOPA Filed May 14J 1923 IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 13, 1927.

UNITED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE THOMAS MARKEY, OF FORT ATKINSON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 JAMESMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF FORT ATKINSON, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OFWISCONSIN.

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Application ined may 14, 1923. serial No. 638,700.

My invention relates to improvements in brooder coops.

Objects of this invent-ion are to provide means for improved sanitationand ventilation of brooder coopsg-to provide such a coop with doublesliding doors which may be manipulated either to rele-ase the smallchicks while retaining the mother hen, or to release all of the chickensincluding the mother hem-to provide improved quick detachableconnections between the housing portion and the bottom of the coopadapted to be manipulated either for Ventilating purposes, or tofacilitate the complete separation of thehousing portion from thebottom, or a partial separation in which all portions 0f the interiormay be exposed to the sun;- and to provide a coop having a sheet metalroof with a non-heat conducting lining so are ranged and combined with ahollow ridge member as to promote a rapid circulation of air in theupper portion of the coop and prevent overheating.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view'of a brooder coop embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a sectional view drawn on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a front elevation showing the housing portion as it appearslwhen swung away from the bottom to expose the bottom and the interiorof the housing to sunlight.

Figure 5 is a longitudinall sectional view of the roof showing amodified form of construction.

Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a portion of thefront wall of the coopand its doors drawn to a plane intersecting thedoorway and doors, the latter being closed and adjusted to permitventilation.

Like parts are identified by the same refence characters throughout theseveral views. y The bottom or fioor 1 is formed of sheet metal havingdown-turned marginal iianges 2, the bases of which are preferably rolledcylindrically to form supporting beads 3.

@The side walls 4. and 5 are each formed yintegrally with the roofsections 6 and 7 respectively. The end walls 8 and 9 have marginalflanges 10 which lap over the end margins of the side walls, and otherflanges 11 which lap over the ends of the roof portions 6 and 7. Thesemarginal flanges are secured yto the side wallsand roof respectively bybolts or rivets 13. The lower margins of the several walls arecylindrically rolled to form beads 16 which rest upon the floor beads 3when the housing portion is in its normally assembled relation to thefioor.

The housing portion is normally secured to the floor by wire fastenings17 having elbowed portions 18 in hinged connection with the portions 19of the fioor bead and provided at their opposite ends with inwardlyinclined portions 20 and half elbowed extremities 20 which pass throughsuitable apertures 21 in the side walls 4 and 5. At the rear end of thecoop, additional apertures 22 and 23 are provided to receive theextremities 20 of the wire fasteners whereby this end of the coop may beraised from the bottom and supported in an elevated position asillustrated in Figures 2 and 3 to promote ventilation.` When the wiresare engaged in the apertures 23, the young chicks may freely pass out atthe rear end of the coop. When `the wires are engaged in the apertures22 ventilation will be permitted but the young chicks will be retained.When the wiresare engaged in the apertures 21 the housing portion of thecoop will be held to the fioor on all sides, as shown in Figure 1.

The roof portions 6 and 7 have their upper margins 25 curved upwardlyand outwardly to receive the correspondingly inwardly curved marginalportions 26 of a cylindrically rolled ridge member 27, which is alsocomposed of sheet metal and which forms a tubular passage extendinglongitudinally of the coop and beyond the ends thereof, as clearly shownin Figures 1 and 2. The upper marginal portions of the roof members 6and 7 are slightly separated to allow free passage of air from beneathsaid roof members into the ridge member 27. The exterior under side ofeach of the root` members 6 and 7. Wooden sheetings 3l may be interposedas shown in Figure 3 or, if desired, wooden strips 32 may be employed asspacers between the insulating sheets 30 and the roof members 6 and 7respectively, as shown in Figure 5. In the construction shown in Figure5, it is obvious that when the roof' is subjected to the heat ot thesun, the air in the passages 33 between the strips 32 will become heatedand pass upwardly through the space or passage 29 into the ridge,there-v by not only accelerating the ventilation, but more eifectivelyinsulating the interior of thev coop from the heat of the roof.

At the front of the coop a large opening 35 is'provided in the wall 3.This opening may be closed in whole or in part by a sliding 'door 36having Ventilating apertures 37 and also preferably provided with alarger aperture 38 through which small chicks may pass. This door issupported at top and bottom by having its upper and lower marginsengaged in suitable runways 39. and 40 respectively. u

A similar co-operatiug sliding door 43, also provided with apertures 44and having its upper and lower margins engaged in runways 45 and 46respectively, is adapted to be moved along the outer surface of theVdoor 36 to progressively cover it to any desired extent. yThe apertures37 and 44 in the respective doors are arranged in vertical v rows spacedat equal 'distances from each other. It is, therefore, obvious that theouter door may serve as a valve for the ventilating apertures in theinner door. FVhen the apertures 37 and 44 are in registry, freeventilation through the apertures will be possible. When both doorsareclosed across the large opening 35 and the outer door 43 adjusted toclose the apertures 37 in the inner door, air circulation through thedoors will be cut oli and the opening 38 may also be closed. Be tweenthese two extremes the outer door may also be adjusted for partialregistry ot the openings 44 with the openings 37, thus giving partialventilation while protecting the interior from being chilled duringinclement weather.

' The doors may be locked by a wire pin or key 4S, or by any othersuitable means. The key 48V is an elbowed'piece of wire which is adaptedto be inserted through a hole 49 in the upper slideway of the doors,said 'doors being provided with corresponding apertures through whichthis wire key may pass to hold the doors in either a closed or partiallyopen position.l Vhen the doors are adjusted,

vas illustrated in Figure l, the inner door 36 is locked by this wirekey with the opening 35 partially exposed for ventilation and with thekey holding the door so that the mother hen cannot push itvopensuiiciently to escape.

It will be observed that my improved broeder coop maybe formed wholly ofsheet metal except for the heat insulating portions and the wirefastenings. It will also be observed in Figure 4 that the housingyportion can be swungl backwardly when the front tastenings 17 arereleased, thereby exposing the interior of the housing as well as thefloor for thorough sunlight sanitation. When in thisvposition, theinterior and the iioor may be additionally cleansed by a stream of waterfrom a hose. Sanitation is further promoted by the very adequate andeasily regulated means for ventilation, atording an lunusually widerange of adjustmentfwhereby the ventilation can be made almost ascomplete as if the housing were wholly removed, or reduced duringinclement weather to a point where .ventilation occurs only through thehollow ridge. The double sliding doors provide unusually convenientmeans for not only regulating air circulation, but for controllingegress and ingress of the chicks or of the mother hen at will. It willalso be observed that the floor flanges 2 support the floor 1 above theground, thejintervening air space preventing the oor from being chilledby contact with damp earth. f'

I claim l. Ina broeder coop, the combination with a bottom comprising aninverted pan having outwardly rolled margins, of a housing open at itslower margin to receive said bottom, said lower margin being rolledoutwardly and adapted to rest upon the rolled margin of said bottom, andastenings, each comprising a wire extending longitudinally through oneof the rolled margins on said bottom and having its ends extendingvertically above the last mentioned margin and toward said housing, saidhousing having an aperture in each of itsvwalls adjacent the extendedends of said wire, each aperture being adapted to receive acorresponding end ot said wire, whereby to secure said bottom andhousing together.

2. In a broeder coop, the combination with a bottom comprising aninverted pan having outwardly rolled margins, of a housing open at itsVlower margin vto receive said bottom, said lower margin being rolledvoutwardly and adapted to rest upon the rolled margin of said bottom, andfastenings. each compris ing a wire extending longitudinally through cone of the rolled margins on said bottom and having its ends extendingverticallyv aboye the last mentioned margin and toward said housing,said housing having a. plurality of vertically spaced apertures in eachof its walls adjacent the extended ends of said wire, each aperturebeing adapted to receive a. corresponding1v end of said wire, whereby tosecure said bottom and lhousingin any one of a plurality of relativeangular positions.

3. A brooder coop having in combination a sheet metal floor providedwith depending flanges adapted to support it abovel the ground, ahousing portion adapted to enclose the floor and provided with aperturesand wire fastening members in hinged connection with the floor andprovided with end portions adapted to enter said apertures to lock thehousing portion to the floor, said housing portion having a plurality ofapertures at differing elevations to receive some 0f said fastenings,whereby the housing portion may be partially supported in a raisedposition above the fioor for Ventilating purposes.

4. A brooder coop having one wall provided with a doorway through whichthe fowls may pass, a sliding door provided with Ventilating aperturesand a doorway for small chickens, and a co-operating sliding doorprovided with Ventilating apertures and adapted to be moved to bringsaid apertures into and out of registry with those of the firstmentioned door and to cover said doorway for small chickens, both ofsaid doors being also adjustable to wholly or partially cover thedoorway of the housing.

5. In a brooder coop, a set of roof walls spaced apart along their uppermargins, in combination with a hollow ridge in interlocking relation toysaid margins and open to the exterior atmosphere at its respective endsto permit the' escape of air from underneath the roof, and heatinsulating sheeting secured to the under surface of said roof membersand spaced therefrom to permit air circulation between such sheeting andthe roof upwardly into said hollow ridge member, and means forsupporting the side walls, roof and hollow ridge in an endwise tiltedposition to permit air to enter at the bottom and facilitate itsdelivery through said hollow ridge.

6. A brooder coop having in combination a floor, a detachable housingadapted for vertical adjustment angularly with reference to the floor topermit passage of air between the housing and Vthe floor, said housinghaving a ridge ventilator.

7.- In a brooder coop, the combination with a set of side walls and asct of inclined roof walls providing therewith a chamber having an upperportion open to the atmospliere, of an insulating wall spaced below cachof the roof walls and adapted to separate from the remainder of thechamber that with said housin portion immediately beneath the roof andopen to the atmosphere as aforesaid, said insulating wall being formedto afford communication between the portions of said chamber thereaboveand therebeneath, whereby air heated beneath said roof walls may findegress from said chamber without heating the lower portion thereof, and,in finding egress may induce a circulation of air in sald lower chamberportion, and means for supporting one end of the coop in a raisedposition with reference to the bottom and with an outlet portion of theroof chamber elevated above the other portion to facilitate air deliverytherethrough.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination with ahousing structure of a floor separable from said housing structure andincluding beaded marginal portions having a wire extending through oneof said portions and provided with upturned ends adapted detachably forengagement structure.

9. In a 'bro'o er coop, the combination with a set of side walls and anupwardly inclined roof wall, of an insulating wall spaced downwardlyfrom said roof wall to provide an air space therebeneath, said air spacebeing in communication adjacent an upper portion of said roof wall withthe exterior atmosphere at one end of the coop to permit the escape ofair heated above said insulating wall and beneath said roof wall, andmeans for supporting the side walls at one end of the coop in a raisedposition to admit air through the lower portion of the coop, andfacilitate its delivery along the correspondingly tilted upper marginalportion of the roof wall.

10. A brooder coop provided with a doorway, and a pair of doorssupported and guided from the coop and adapted to slide' upon each otheracross said doorway, each door having Ventilating apertures so locatedas to be simultaneously and progressively closed during movement of onedoor upon the other to closing position and to be substantially whollyclosed when both doors are in doorway covering position, the quantity ofair passing through the doors being regulated by the capacity of theapertures as determined by the degree of registry of the apertures inone door with those in the other door without change in the distributionor number of such Ventilating openings.

GEORGE THOMAS MARKEY.

